half the point of the so called hardtail HT thing is razzing about in the woods.
you can’t razz on clips (unless you are Dr Pete) you just can’t…
I’d argue against that on all three points.
1st, Horses for courses, some days I’ll do some riding that requires favours flats, other days SPD’s
2nd, As above, I buy/bought them as a jack of all trades, my “messing about in the woods” is actualy a full suss.
3rd, It’s all in your head. I can ride as fast on either pedal over techy stuff. IMO the commitment required to ride fast is less than the commitment required to ride in SPDs, and going fast means your less likely to dab so it’s less of a problem.